Cowart, Thomas William Jr.

Obituary

Thomas William Cowart, Jr.

A Cowboy, a Marine and an Air Force Pilot, T.W. was a full-fledged member of the Greatest Generation. His profession was oil and gas, but his love was family, faith and country. He was proud of his two sons, but he was the adored “Giddy” to his six grandchildren. He spent forty-four years as a member and song leader at Kensington Woods Church of Christ in Hattiesburg, MS and twelve years at the Otter Creek Church of Christ. His devotion to faith and love of youth were combined in his founding and chairmanship of the Southern Christian Student Center at the University of Southern Mississippi. He met Glenda Miller at Baylor University and she was his love for sixty years of marriage. He left this life surrounded by his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren who blessed his passage in song and prayer on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, at the age of eighty-three. His sons are David (Greta) of Dallas, TX and Dick (Becky) of Brentwood and Otter Creek. Grandchildren are Claire (James) Haltom, Christine (Jacob) French, Kevin (Lauren) Cowart, Lauren Cowart, Megan (Devan) Patrick and Carrie Cowart. His great-grandchildren are Cale and Dallas French, Judah, Audrey, and Caroline Cowart.

A Life Remembered

On a long-awaited night, the family of Thomas William Cowart, Jr., shared prayers, tears, laughter, and joy as he left this world and was brought home forever by his loving heavenly Father. Many a story could be told about the grit of this Texas cowboy (born and raised, mind you), oilman, airman, and Marine. We love him best, however, as our husband, father, grandfather, and even great-grandfather!

Writing to a deeply loved church family, the apostle Paul once said, “You yourselves are our letter [of recommendation], written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”

What better way to remember you and all that you mean to us, Giddy, than to say we will live on proudly as the evidence and fruit of your deep love for us and God. You leave a wife, Glenda, who is worthy to be praised for her servant love for you over the many, many years you enjoyed together. You also leave two sons and their wives, Dick and Becky, and David and Greta, whose families and work testify to your legacy. Your six grandchildren’s hearts warm at how you revealed God’s love through your deep love for them, even if they can’t help but smile (or wince!) at the memory of soldier ant attacks and would love to blame your genetics for their stubborn streaks. They may have met you later, but your three grandsons-in- law were greatly affected by you, serving now as admirable reflections of your commitment to family and country. Also quickly endeared to you, your granddaughter-in-law loved sharing your songs and smiles. Finally, your four- great-grandkids want to thank you one last time for being so tough and holding on so that they could play with you over these last few years. Calfrope! Enjoy your new life in Glory TW/Dad/Giddy! You are already deeply missed. We love you!

Eva Louise Cope Crothers…3/14/2017

Eva Louise Cope Crothers, age eighty-eight, lovingly known to all as "Miss Eva," passed peacefully into the arms of Jesus on March 14, 2017. A resident of Nashville, TN, she was born on January 16, 1929, in McMinnville, TN, to the late Clyde Hampton Cope and Jame Butler Cope. She was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. John M. Crothers.

She is survived by a daughter, Claudia Efird, of Memphis, and two sons, John Crothers (Janet) and Jim Crothers (Terri), both of Nashville. She was beloved Nana to eight grandchildren: Watt, Hayley and Tyler Efird, all of Memphis; Jamie Edwards (Aaron), Jenny Stephenson (Brad), of Nashville, and Julie Crothers, of Oakland, California; and Garrett Crothers (Kinsley) and Clay Crothers, both of Nashville. Eva cherished her three great-grandchildren: Eva Marie Edwards, Hudson Stephenson and Parker Stephenson. She is also survived by a sister, Jean Davis (Taft) of Franklin, a sister-in-law, Marcia Lou Corley (Lynch), of Nashville, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Eva graduated from McMinnville Central High School in 1947 and attended David Lipscomb College and Memphis State College. After her marriage in 1949, she and John lived in Memphis until 1970. There they attended Union Avenue Church of Christ and Eva taught in Memphis City Schools. She began teaching the two-year-old class at Otter Creek Preschool in 1975 and continued as a beloved and iconic figure at the kindergarten for thirty-four more years, finally retiring at age eighty. Fiercely patriotic, her impeccable outfits and jewelry often matched any holiday occasion. She and her husband John were both larger-than-life figures who for many years were loyal fans and team parents of the Otter Creek softball teams. A devoted and devout Christian, Eva was widely known for her love of the Bible, the church, and children; her passion for Tennessee Vols; and her generous encouragement to many younger women at Otter Creek Church of Christ.

Visitation will be at Otter Creek Church at 409 Franklin Road in Brentwood, TN, on Sunday, March 19, 2017, from 1-3 p.m., with services to follow at 3:30 p.m. A family burial will take place Tuesday the 20th at 10:00 a.m. Grandsons will serve as Active Pallbearers.

In lieu of flowers, consider donations to three charitable organizations close to Eva's heart: Encouragement Ministries, PO Box 2082, Brentwood, TN 37027, The Wayne Reed Christian Childcare Center, 11b Lindsley Avenue, Nashville, TN 37210, and Churches of Christ Disaster Relief Effort, Inc., 410 Allied Drive, Nashville, TN 37211. Woodbine Funeral Home, Hickory Chapel, Directors 615-331-1952--Still Family Owned.

Honorary Pallbearers: Aaron Edwards, Watt Efird, Brad Stephenson, Garrett Crothers, Tyler Efird, Clay Crothers, Hudson Stephenson, Parker Stephenson Service at Otter Creek Church

Welcome and Prayer, Russ Corley Obituary, Betsy Piper David England, leading congregation in “Holy, Holy, Holy,” “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” Nearer Still Nearer,”

Reflections, Russ Corley Nan Gurley, “Amazing Grace” Honoring Ms. Eva, Pat Ward David England, leading congregation in “Joyful Joyful,” “It Is Well with My Soul” Family Memories, Janet and Julie Crothers Closing Prayer, Bill Rieder

Comments by Pat Ward

Even though our hearts are broken over our loss of sweet Eva, we grieve as people who have hope, for we believe that Jesus died and rose again. The grave is not the last word. Since Jesus died and broke loose from the grave, God will certainly bring back to life those who died in HIM. Eva would want to make sure we talked about the Lord today…in fact, she’d probably rather us talk more about him than her.

Today is no easy task. Defining someone like Eva in mere words is impossible. To quote a dear friend of Eva’s, “She had class and she had sass.” As I remember my sweet friend today, you will hear stories of both. My relationship with Eva started in the spring of 1978 when I first came to work at Otter Creek. She took me in and under her wing quickly. She has mentored so many of us in this room, like a second mother. I would like for you to stand if she was a mentor/mother/advisor to you. Crothers children and grandchildren look around and see a part of her impact. And this is not even a third of her impact because she touched young children and their parents for more than thirty-five years at Otter Creek.

Hospitality was one of her gifts: Many of you in here know what I’m talking about. She had her Cheekwood and Puffy Muffin ministries. At both places when she walked in the door, everyone would greet Miss Eva and she knew them all by name. She had a special table and server. She wanted to get there early and stay late and she always paid. During the summers she, Russ, and I would meet at least once a week for breakfast. We talked scripture, church, and sometimes politics. After a couple of hours, Russ would say, “Miss Eva, I hate to leave but I have another appointment.” She would graciously tell him that was fine but would look at me and say, “Sit tight. I’ve invited someone else to join us for lunch!” After lunch we always went to the Hallmark store to stock up on cards.

Eva kept the post office in business. She sent a card for anything and everything. When her tremors worsened and it became too difficult to write, she still wanted me to send cards and would carefully instruct me on whether to sign her name with love or lovingly. One special card was a birthday card to either Julie or Jenny. She wanted me to write “love, Nona,” so I did. Whichever one of you it was called her and said, “Who is Nona who sent me a card?” I had spelled NON-A phonetically as it sounded to me. And you all spell it Nana!

In the early days at Otter Creek we would go to workshops for credit hours. We would close school for two days and go to Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis. On one particular trip we’d been in class all day and were going to dinner that night. Marlene and I were tired and wanted to go back to the room to take a nap. We had just turned the lights out and covered up when she burst in our door and pulled those covers back with disgust and said, “Girls, it’s the middle of the day and we are going out on the town,” and we did.

Eva was always ready to go somewhere. Whoever was having a fundraising dinner – Agape, Wayne Reed YES…she wanted us to go. We’d eat and see friends from everywhere. She always picked me up in the Cadillac. One night we

were on our way home around nine and she said. “You know, Pat, my eyes are getting worse and I can’t see a thing after dark!!!!”

We also went to many doctor appointments. I know you all are envious of our social life. She loved Dr. Mangrum, and one day heard I had an appointment. She asked if she could ride along. I said sure. By this time I’ve wised up and was doing all the driving. I went into the exam room and a few seconds after Dr. Mangrum came in we heard a knock at the door. It was Eva and she wanted to know if she could come in. Tim said that was up to me. I said sure. As I’m lying on the table, she begins to tell him her knee is bothering her. Before we left, she had medicine for her knee and got her flu shot, and she said, “While we’re here, Pat needs her a flu shot too!” After leaving the doctor, she always wanted us to go eat. Now because of her tremors, we always had to go to O’Charley’s so she could get chicken fingers and sweet potato fries. We were in the car and she said, “Ready to eat.” I said, “Eva, it’s 2:30.” She said, “Just call it lunch or dinner. I don’t care.” We laughed and laughed and just began to call the time we ate “linner.”

At one of our staff retreats, we played an Otter Creek Trivia Game. The first two questions were: Who thinks she is the boss of Otter Creek and who really is!” To “Who thinks she is the boss?” Eva answered “Pat” and to “Who really is? she answered, “Eva.” And I don’t think she was the only one!

You can’t talk about Eva without talking about UT. She loved all things Rocky Top. Remember the orange and white bloomers she wore? On one of the last visits I sang “Rocky Top” to her and she mouthed the words “Good Ole Rocky Top.” We also must talk of her sweater and jewelry collection. She had a sweater for not just every holiday but every occasion! Her jewelry always matched. She had a theme going on every day.

My favorite time with Eva was Bible study at Diana’s. We all grew closer together and closer to the Lord. We discussed hard topics and didn’t always agree, but we left better women. Eva loved the Lord as much as anyone I’ve ever known. She read the Bible daily and when her eyesight worsened she listened on CD. It brought her the greatest joy and comfort. He directed her steps. Once she was telling me a situation about someone hurting her feelings. I of course gave her great advice about what to say back to them, and she said, “Pat, why would I hurt the Lord like that?” She saw HIM in you and me.

Generosity was another one of Eva’s gifts. She was generous to all of us. You only knew of her generosity if you were the recipient. You know she would slip money in your pocket at just the right time. Eva knew how to love without strings. Her love wasn’t based on merit. She had the innate ability to make you feel like you were the most important person she could be spending time with. She listened to prompting from the Holy Spirit. She went to see my mom at the Meadows one day because she felt called to. One of my kids was sick and having a procedure at the hospital when the Meadows called to say they thought my mom was dying. The nurse said, “There’s a lady here sitting with your mom and she said to tell you she’ll stay until you can get here. Her name is Eva.”

Eva was a wife of noble character. She is worth far more than rubies. She was clothed with strength and dignity. She loved her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren deeply.

Eva was a woman who loved and feared the Lord.

You leave us with a void that cannot be filled but we celebrate that you are home--where you always wanted to be. Everyone in this room celebrates your being a part of their lives. I will see you soon.

Comments by Janet Crothers at Eva’s

service

Following Pat is not an easy thing to do. Thank you, Pat, for so beautifully giving us all a glimpse into the heart of Miss Eva and reminding us why we love her so. But now Julie and I will attempt to share what it is like to be a part of Eva’s family.

For some unknown reason the mother-in-law relationship for many is the most complicated, precarious, and tricky of relationships ever experienced. If you google Mother-In-Law jokes you can find some pretty funny ones, but none of them apply to my mother-in-law, Eva Crothers. In fact, I’m not even comfortable using the term mother-in-law. Eva was my mom in so many ways. One time, Eva came with us to my family’s reunion. Now who brings her mother-in-law to a family reunion? And all my family was happy to have her there. Only someone that has a special relationship with her mother-in-law.

Since Tuesday I have tried to come up with a reason for our good relationship through the years.

Perhaps it is because we share the same taste in men. (Show pic of Big John.) This is a picture of her husband, Big John, and I have found my husband, John, in this exact position many times. Eva and John had a different relationship in many ways I will never completely understand, but Big John loved his “Ever” as he called her. I was reminded of His love when I found 184 letters that he had written to Eva over the years. She kept them tied in ribbon like a treasure possession.

Maybe I had such a good relationship with Eva because we share a similar flare for fashion. (Show pic of Eva in wild outfit.) Although she could always carry it off way better than I.

I don’t have a good relationship with Eva because we both can dance. I have two left feet and one of Eva’s favorite things was to dance the night away. She was good at it too. We did both love a couple of dancers though. (Show picture of Jamie and picture of Julie.)

Maybe it’s because neither one of us was all that good with technology. John always had to help us both. He set Eva up with an email account Missevac@aol.com. She loved receiving many emails, but she never could figure out how to reply to a single one of them. Hope some of you didn’t think she was ignoring you.

Maybe I had a good relationship with Eva because we both love dogs. Absolutely not. I am not a dog person and she loved her Ginger. (Show picture of Ginger.) Actually though, I’m not convinced that she loved Ginger all that much, but she loved Ginger’s original owner, her daughter, Claudia, with all her heart. (Show picture of Claudia and Ginger.)

Maybe I had a great relationship with Eva because we both enjoyed picking on our Johns. You might think you can’t complain about your husband to his mother, but oh no; Eva was great to commiserate with me when I struggled with an occasional frustration John caused. In fact, she loved to tell stories about Big John too. Once she told me how she played a trick on Big John. He always ate everything sweet in the house, similar to his son, John. So she set out

a lovely plate of what looked like chocolates but he soon discovered they were really chocolate covered cotton balls. She got him good.

Maybe I was close to Eva because at times we would both get confused with all our “J” names. (Listen to audio of Eva.)

Actually, I am now convinced that the reason I had a great relationship with Eva was all because of her. It was just who she was. She was the perfect daughter-in-law as well. Witnessed by the six letters I found to Eva from her own mother in law. It is clear that Marcia Crothers loved her daughter-in-law, Eva. Listen to this from a letter John sent her a year before they were married. (Read a segment of a letter from John.)

Eva was kind and considerate always. Eva knew just what to say to make others feel at ease. Once before John and I were married I was over at her house. I spent a lot of time over there. The telephone rang and no one else was getting it so I answered it. Of course, it was for Eva. She was in the basement doing laundry, so I went down the stairs and found her in the laundry room. I told her the phone was for her and handed her the cordless phone. Remember those. As soon as she got off the phone she came upstairs and said, “Janet, we have a problem. You don’t know what to call me do you? Just call me Eva.” She always did everything she could to make others feel comfortable.

Eva also took what you give and never expected more. Since John and I married, my parents always lived in Oregon. Sometimes, we went to spend holidays with them and other times they came to spend holidays with us. Eva never ever showed a hint of irritation if her family holiday plans had to be rearranged to accommodate me and my family. She never expected us to come to her house but was always glad when we did. Over the years my friends became her friends and my family became her family.

She gave over and over and over again. She gave of her time, her money, and herself. John and I and then with the girls would eat out with them often. Eva wasn’t too fond of cooking, so we went out a lot and she always picked up the tab. Once after years of Eva’s paying the bill, my John picked it up to pay. Eva tried to take it from him and said, “I’ll get it now, your time will come.” To which John replied, “I’ll get it. I don’t want to be beholden.” Which of course was ridiculous because her son John never felt obligated to do anything for her. He wanted to do everything for her because she had always done everything for him. Eva always gave of herself and shared everything she had.

She was of course a fabulous grandmother as Julie will share and all the grandkids can attest to, but she was great to this young mom. It might have been intimidating to have a longtime professional preschool teacher as their grandmother when their own mother had no idea what to do. But she never gave advice without my asking for it and she always offered assistance of any kind. I can’t remember a single time that we asked Eva to keep the kids and she said no. She wanted to help us, and she wanted to spend time with the girls. It got to the point that when Jenny was two and in Eva’s preschool class at Otter Creek, I had to limit Jenny to spending the night only once a week. I think Jenny would have lived over there if I had let her, and that would have been just fine with Eva.

From my perspective Eva Crothers was the best mother possible to me, and of course to Jim’s wife Terri and Claudia’s husband Watt, but also to so many others that crossed her path.

Comments from Granddaughter Julie

I will always remember Nana for her generosity and caring heart. Whether it was all the beanie babies she would buy for her collection only to let me take one home every time I went over to her house, the post-church shopping trips to Stein Mart and the Hallmark store, or the massive tips she would leave for the waiters at the Puffy Muffin—Nana was always sharing, always giving, always showering us with her love.

I will always remember the sleepovers at Nana’s house. Nana told good stories about the past, and I loved helping her cut out and organize her coupons. She would happily wash my hair in the kitchen sink, which was the best feeling

in the world. Then we would play multiple games of Yahtzee and watch Hyacinth until it was time for bed. She would set up the sofa bed for me in the playroom and turn on my favorite movie (Will Quack Quack or The Parent Trap), but one hour later I’d go crawling into her big bed where I got to sleep next to her like a princess. When I’d wake up in the morning, Nana would be already awake, sitting in the sunroom reading her Bible, the sound of hymns playing on the radio and the gurgle of the coffee maker coming from the kitchen. There would be a box of Fruity Pebbles waiting on the kitchen table. Nana’s house always had the best foods—fruit snacks, squeeze cheese, and whipped cream.

Nana was a woman of many colors. As kind and caring as she was, let’s not forget that she was also quite sassy and opinionated. As I got older, I appreciated getting glimpses into this side of Nana’s personality, whether it was through inappropriate comments she’d whisper in my ear in public or her commentary while watching evening TV. And there was the time she leaned over to me in the middle of church, handed me tweezers, and asked me to pluck her chin hair. She was independent, strong minded and very much an individual.

More recently, I have been very thankful to get to know a part of Nana that I was surprised and delighted to discover. When cleaning out her house, in addition to the beautiful letters from Papa John to her, we found hundreds of other old letters written to her in the 1940s from her friends and many other boyfriends. I’ve learned that her goal in life was to be a preacher’s wife and that she was quite the flirt. For a period of time, she had multiple men confessing their true love and intentions to marry her. What a babe she must have been. I’m lucky she chose the right guy. I learned that one time she went playing in the snow with her girlfriends in a two-piece bathing suit and took pictures to commemorate. I’m learning about the music she used to enjoy—songs by Doris Day, Spike Lee, and Jo Stafford—and I enjoy it now as well! I dance to it in my room. I never knew this side of my Nana, but I find great joy in learning about her past and seeing more of myself in parts of her.

I will always remember the last moments I got to spend with Nana before she died. It was Christmas Day and unseasonably warm. Mom, Dad, and I went to visit her at the nursing home and decided to take her for a walk around the neighborhood. My dad was pushing her in her wheelchair as we strolled around and admired the Christmas decorations and blow-up characters in all the yards. She couldn’t really move her hands by this point—they were in a constant state of being clenched—and she wasn’t able to talk anymore. But the connection I felt with her that day was special. I pried open her hand and fit a couple of my fingers into her palm. Like a baby’s reflex, her fingers closed tightly around mine. Fragile as she was, she could still squeeze. When her brain and her voice were no longer able to articulate her love, she just squeezed and didn’t let go for a very long time. Whether she was mentally aware of it or not, there was something very special about this moment. She was telling me in that moment though that human connection, that she loved me deeply, that she cared for me, and that that will never change.Thank you, Nana, for teaching me how to love, how to be a servant, how to stand up for myself, and how not to apologize for being me. Thank you for supporting me no matter how out of place I felt, for providing me the best costumes and accessories for every holiday or spirit day at school, and for all the extra $20 bills you would never let me refuse. Thank you for spoiling us in the best way possible, for letting me touch your soft hands and fiddle with your rings during church, and for still attempting to sign birthday cards even after your tremor got so bad and your letters got all wavy. I cherish every memory and all the time I got to spend with you. I am lucky to call you my Nana and I will love you always.

Janet Crothers again, Julie, you have made your Nana proud.

Eva was a special extraordinary woman and that is why we are here today to honor her and celebrate her life, but I know that the most important thing to Eva was her faith and she would not want the opportunity to share her God to

go unused, so I got to preach just a minute. We are sad because as we think about Eva and realize how much we will miss her, but we are happy because she is living today. She is living exactly what she believed. She is with her heavenly father. She accepted His beautiful gift of salvation. Because He sent His son Jesus, Eva is spending today and every day for eternity with Him. Let’s be sure we are all right there with them and all unwrap the gift God freely offers us. Goodbye for now, sweet Eva. We love you. (Listen to video of Eva saying I love you.)